PPSCF (Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide) for FDM

Material Profile: PPSCF (Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide) for FDM

FDM Engineering Material Technical Report Series

Compiled from manufacturer technical datasheets and peer-reviewed literature

Abstract—PPSCF combines PPS's unmatched chemical resistance, flame retardancy, and 220 °C service with chopped carbon-fiber reinforcement (10–15 wt%) for metal-replacement stiffness. Several PPSCF grades (Raise3D, Flashforge, Bambu) are formulated to print on conventional FDM machines.

Index Terms—additive manufacturing, FDM, PPS, carbon fiber, high temperature, flame retardant, EN 45545.

I.  MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION

This section establishes the canonical names and commercial designations under which the material is supplied.

A.  Designation

Trade name: PPS-CF / PPSCF (generic). Examples: Raise3D Industrial PPS CF (10 wt% CF), Flashforge LUVOCOM® PPS-CF (10 wt%), Bambu Lab PPS-CF, 3D4Makers Luvocom 3F 9938 (15 wt%).

B.  Full Chemical Name

Poly(p-phenylene sulfide) reinforced with chopped carbon fiber (PAN-derived, 10–15 wt%).

C.  Aliases and Alternative Designations

II.  COMPOSITION AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE

A.  Empirical Chemical Formula

Matrix: PPS, [-C₆H₄-S-]ₙ. Reinforcement: PAN-derived chopped carbon fiber.

Fig. 1.  Repeating unit / structural schematic of the polymer matrix.

Fig. 2.  Schematic of dispersed reinforcement / filler in the polymer matrix (not to scale).

B.  Composition Breakdown

TABLE I
 COMPOSITIONAL BREAKDOWN OF PPSCF (TYPICAL / PER SUPPLIER DATASHEET)

III.  MECHANICAL PROPERTIES — XZ PRINT DIRECTION

In the XZ orientation the tensile load is applied parallel to the deposited rasters; for fiber-reinforced grades this is the strongest orientation because the fibers align preferentially along the extrusion direction.

TABLE II
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES — XZ ORIENTATION (PPSCF)

IV.  MECHANICAL PROPERTIES — ZX PRINT DIRECTION

In the ZX orientation the tensile load is applied perpendicular to the print layers, so failure occurs through inter-layer (Z) bonds. Properties are markedly lower than in XZ — this anisotropy is intrinsic to FDM.

TABLE III
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES — ZX ORIENTATION (PPSCF)

Estimated XZ:ZX UTS ratio ≈ 2.3:1, modulus ratio ≈ 4:1 — among the most anisotropic FDM materials due to PPS's high crystallinity and strong fiber alignment.

V.  RECOMMENDED PRINT PARAMETERS

Values summarised below give consensus operating windows from public datasheets. Specific suppliers may differ within ±10 °C; the supplier datasheet always supersedes this table.

TABLE IV
 RECOMMENDED PRINT TEMPERATURE RANGES FOR PPSCF

VI.  GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE (TG)

Reported / typical Tg: ≈ 88 – 90 °C (PPS amorphous fraction).

Like unfilled PPS, the matrix is semi-crystalline. Annealing at 200 °C × 1–2 h is essential. Carbon fibers act as crystallisation nucleation sites, accelerating crystal growth.

VII.  HEAT DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE (HDT)

Heat deflection temperature is the temperature at which a standard bar deflects 0.25 mm under a specified flexural load (ASTM D648 / ISO 75).

TABLE V
 HEAT DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE OF PPSCF UNDER STANDARD TEST LOADS

VIII.  DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS AND STANDARDS

A.  Multi-standard fire compliance

PPSCF is inherently UL 94 V-0 (no FR additives), and additionally certified or compliant with: EN 45545-2 R22+R23 — HL1, HL2 (railway material fire requirements); UN-ECE R.118.03 (bus interior fire behaviour); ISO 4589-2 oxygen index typically > 45%. This combination is virtually unmatched among FDM materials.

B.  Heat deflection temperature ≈ 245–260 °C

Post-anneal HDT @ 0.45 MPa reaches 260 °C — higher than many PEEK and PEKK grades, at substantially lower cost and without active chamber heating in compatible grades.

C.  Chemical resistance with stiffness

Inherits PPS's universal chemical resistance below 200 °C, with carbon fiber adding metal-comparable stiffness.

D.  Printability advantage over PEEK

PPSCF prints at 320–350 °C versus 380–440 °C for PEEK, on standard high-temperature FDM hardware.

IX.  REPRESENTATIVE APPLICATIONS

PPSCF is typically deployed in the following applications:

1)  Rail and mass-transit interior fittings: Compliant with EN 45545-2 fire requirements; replaces metal in seat brackets, ducting, panels.

(Sourse : Weerg)

2)  Aerospace ducting and brackets: FST-compliant interior structural fittings.

3)  Chemical / oil-and-gas pump and valve internals: Where universal solvent resistance + stiffness is required.

4)  Automotive E&E high-temperature parts: Connectors, sensor housings near engine.

5)  End-use metal-replacement components: Brackets, mounts, frames where (HDT, stiffness, fire) triad is required.

(Sourse : Weerg)

Photographs of representative parts in these applications are not reproduced here for copyright reasons; the table below provides direct manufacturer / case-study URLs where original imagery and project descriptions can be viewed.

TABLE VI
 SUGGESTED IMAGE / CASE-STUDY SOURCES

X.  REFERENCES

[1]  Raise3D, “Industrial PPS CF Datasheet,” 2024. Available: https://www.raise3d.com/materials/pps-cf/

[2]  Flashforge / Lehmann & Voss, “LUVOCOM® PPS-CF Filament Technical Data Sheet,” 2024.

[3]  Bambu Lab, “PPS-CF Product Datasheet,” 2024. Available: https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/pps-cf

[4]  EN 45545-2, “Fire behaviour of railway materials,” CEN, 2020.

[5]  UN ECE R.118.03, “Fire behaviour of materials in buses,” UN/ECE.

[6]  ISO 4589-2, “Determination of burning behaviour by oxygen index,” ISO.

[7]  UL 94, Underwriters Laboratories, 2018.

[8]  ASTM D638-14; ASTM D256-10; ASTM D648-18.